Sims linked officer education to the public case for sea power

William Sims treated officer education as both an operational and a political project. Officers at the Naval War College had to think beyond their own ship type and war-game how cruisers, destroyers, and other capabilities worked together. Sims also faced two different audiences for naval expansion: politicians could be pressed into studying detailed questions, while the public first needed a memorable slogan that would earn its attention. The slogan was only an entry point, not a substitute for a reasoned case. By teaching officers to understand sea power broadly, Sims created people who could employ task forces in war and communicate the Navy's needs through Congress, newspapers, and public debate.